Audience Perceptions Research Articles

Presidential Candidate Slogans in the 2024 Indonesian General Election; Strategic Communication with Multi-Generational Characteristics

This study focuses on the use of slogans of the three presidential and vice-presidential candidates who will compete in Indonesia’s 2024 general election. This study maps how these slogans operate in the digital space of social media to capture the attention and votes of a cross-generational public in Indonesia. Discourse analysis is used in this study to discover the hidden meanings of texts, while taking into account the risk that these meanings may not be accurate. The researcher therefore limited the study to a specific time and space context, namely during the period leading up to the 2024 general election, and to an Indonesian case study only. The study found that slogans were chosen from popular diction, to make it easier to introduce the candidates’ profiles to the public. These slogans are also a special formula to shape public knowledge about the candidates’ vision and mission. This study holds the view that popularity and the massification process of promotional content still play an important role in the discourse distribution model in contemporary digital media. This connects the dialectic of discourse that occurs in a multi-generational society. In addition, this study also compares with the views of post-truth and post-factual politics with the assumption that the meaning generated from the use of slogans is not bound. Meaning is generated from highly subjective perceptions, so the role of promotion and massification of the chosen terminology still has an important role to influence audience perceptions and win votes from the active voting public.

AUDIENCE PERCEPTION OF MEDIA REPORTAGE ON FARMERS-HERDERS CRISIS IN USSA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, TARABA STATE, NIGERIA

The study examined audience perception of media reportage on farmers-herders crisis in Ussa Local Government Area, Taraba State, Nigeria. A virtual snowball sampling technique was adopted to select 100 respondents for this research. Data was collected using an online survey questionnaire administered through Google form and was analysed using descriptive statistics (likert scale, means and standard deviation). Results showed that that the audience received most of the information about farmers and herders crisis on radio (M = 3.86) and television (M = 3.70). Even though the way mass media reported on farmers and herders’ crisis (M = 3.64) and the role they played (M = 3.45) were perceived by the respondents to have reduced farmers and herders crisis to a fair extent; they however, have not contributed much in de-escalating the crisis and as such are blamed for the continuous rise of crisis in the study area. The crisis between farmers and herders was also perceived by the respondents to sometimes have a serious negative implication on national security (M = 4.42). It was therefore, recommended that the media should double their efforts through constant reporting of correct events in relation to farmers-herders crises in order to curtail its escalation and prevent reoccurrences. The media should also play a role in de-escalating disputes by covering conflict-related news topics with more impartiality and fairness.

Developing the theoretical model of Chinese physical education teachers' health communication competence: based on grounded theory.

Physical education teachers' health communication competence is a key factor in health promotion. Although health communication is a multidisciplinary field, medical practitioners are the primary focus of health communication research, whereas physical education teachers are marginalized. Therefore, this study proposes a theoretical model of health communication competence for physical education teachers. This qualitative research utilized interviews as the primary data collection method. Purposeful sampling was employed to select participants, including university teachers, primary and secondary school teachers, and health education professionals from diverse regions of China. A total of 31 participants were interviewed through two focus groups (N = 15) and individual semi-structured interviews (N = 16). Grounded theory was used to analyze and code the collected interview materials. The health communication competence of physical education teachers consisted of three main categories, 10 subcategories, 30 concepts, and 240 statement labels. The three main categories were as follows: (i) foundations of health communication knowledge and skills (this category encompassed three subcategories, namely sport and health knowledge reserve, health beliefs, and health behaviors); (ii) health communication perception competence (this category included two subcategories, namely health risk and crisis perception competence and communication audience perception competence); and (iii) practical competence of health communication (this category consisted of five subcategories, namely language expression competence, organizational and design competence, utilization of new media tools competence, communication content selection and processing competence, and professional skills). The theoretical model of health communication competence in this study provides a foundation for the involvement of physical education teachers in health communication work. It can serve as a reference for the development of both pre-service health education courses and in-service training systems for physical education teachers. Future research can expand the sample size and geographic coverage to further validate the applicability of the findings. Additionally, investigating the factors influencing the formation of the identified competencies is recommended.

Genuine or impression management? Uncovering biases in how people respond to the Black Lives Matter movement in sport

PurposeNational surveys reveal that sports fans exhibit greater support for athletes, sports teams and leagues endorsing social justice initiatives compared to the general population, highlighting the potential of sports for positive social impact. This study investigates whether such responses are influenced by systematic biases.Design/methodology/approachReplicating a Nielsen national survey, two experiments explore whether biases affect support for athletes' participation in the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. The study also examines partisan motivated reasoning as a factor driving sports fans' support for BLM.FindingsWhile avid fans display stronger endorsement of BLM compared to causal/non-sports fans, evidence suggests that systematic biases distort these responses. When sport identity becomes salient, reported support for the BLM movement becomes inflated.Research limitations/implicationsResearchers often employ self-report surveys to gauge audience perceptions of athlete activism or cause-related initiatives, particularly when assessing their impact. This study's findings indicate that this context is susceptible to SDB.Originality/valueThe study underscores the role of systematic biases in self-report surveys, particularly in socially desirable contexts. People tend to over-report “positive behavior,” leading survey participants to respond more favorably to questions that are socially desirable. Therefore, interpreting survey results with caution becomes essential when the research context is deemed socially (un)desirable. It is crucial for researchers to apply appropriate measures to identify and mitigate systematic response biases. The authors recommend that researchers adopt both procedural and statistical remedies to detect and reduce social desirability biases.

Business and Management Research on the Motion Picture Industry: A Bibliometric Analysis

The motion picture industry is subject to extensive business and management research conducted on a wide range of topics. Due to high research productivity, it is challenging to keep track of the abundance of publications. Against this background, we employ a bibliographic coupling analysis to gain a comprehensive understanding of current research topics. The following themes were defined: Key factors for success, word of mouth and social media, organizational and pedagogical dimensions, advertising—product placement and online marketing, tourism, the influence of data, the influence of culture, revenue maximization and purchase decisions, and the perception and identification of audiences. Based on the cluster analysis, we suggest the following future research opportunities: Exploring technological innovations, especially the influence of social media and streaming platforms in the film industry; the in-depth analysis of the use of artificial intelligence in film production, both in terms of its creative potential and ethical and legal challenges; the exploration of the representation of wokeness and minorities in films and their cultural and economic significance; and, finally, a detailed examination of the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and other crises on the film industry, especially in terms of changed consumption habits and structural adjustments.

Exploring Cultural Meaning Construction in Social Media: An Analysis of Liziqi's YouTube Channel

Hall's encoding/decoding model has been widely used in mass media, but its potential in social media studies has not been explored thoroughly. To this end, this paper aims to broaden the fundamental principles and assumptions of the model and apply them to audience engagement and interaction in constructing cultural meaning through social media. By analysing the YouTube channel of Liziqi (Vlogger), this study adopts a two-stage content analysis to investigate the possibility of textual coding frameworks and audience engagement processes in the construction of cultural narratives. The study reveals that Liziqi represents Chinese culture through various symbols and constructs a micro-narrative coding framework that influences audience perceptions. The audience interprets the content in proactive and diverse ways, resulting in four types of decoding: pleasuring, reflective, empathic, and questioning. This research expands Hall's encoding/decoding model by exploring the production and reception processes in a multicultural context, revealing a shared cultural framework between sender and receiver. This paper provides a tool for scholars to use new conceptual tools for encoding/decoding to explore the meaning dimensions of social media interaction.

THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING ON THE PURCHASE INTENTION OF GENERATION Z

The success factor in achieving purchase intention is social media marketing which is a crucial component of management in a business. This research offers fresh insight into how social media marketing initiatives affect younger customers’ intention to purchase. This research aims to determine the impact of social media marketing on the purchase intention of Generation Z in Malaysia. The research used a simple sampling approach, with descriptive and inferential analysis of 339 respondents. Quantitative surveys were designed to collect data based on model constructs for social media activities. The analysis was performed with the aid of SPSS statistical analysis software, by using correlation analysis for the data analyzed. All social media marketing activity factors have significantly influenced customer purchase intention. The strongest indicator is trendiness, which is followed by brand awareness and perceived trust, respectively. The research will make organizations aware that, social media is a crucial component for increasing audience perceptions toward influencing consumer purchase intention.

Behind the Lens: Exploring the 'Frontline of China's Diplomacy’ Video Production Practice

The 'Frontline of China's Diplomacy' Vlog, produced by China Central Radio and Television (CCTV), has added a fresh viewpoint to news reporting in the mainstream media by providing first-person accounts of key events like visits by Chinese leaders. Although vlogs have been widely used in various fields, most of the existing literature on vlogs focuses on the characteristics, advantages, and challenges of this new form. Scant studies explore the advantages and disadvantages of vlogs on news reporting and audience perception. To this end, the effect of VLOG on news is investigated using in-depth interview. Findings conclude that vlogs in news reporting have some benefits, such as enhancing and expanding the mainstream media news exposure, making related news more accessible and interesting, and improving the user experience through interactive communication. The study does, however, note some difficulties, including the possibility for news information to become muddled as a result of strong personal influence, the usage of rotating anchors which may not align with traditional vlog creation, and the recognition that ‘Vlog+News Report’ cannot replace the strengths of in-depth reporting by mainstream media. As a result, this study suggests that the vlog format may not be suitable for regular use in in-depth news reporting in mainland China.

Gender Stereotyping: The Role of Traditional and social media: An Analysis of Audience Perception

Gender stereotyping has been rampant since the initiation of broadcast media in the late 50s and early 60s. However, as advertisements are a more persuasive form of communication, the perception and normalization of stereotypes and the degree of persuasion become more evident and probable. Television and social media advertisements differ in their portrayal. Hence, stereotypes and the level of influence through persuasion need to be studied separately. This research compares and analyses television and social media advertisements based on stereotypes. In addition, the audience’s perception and the level of persuasion are analyzed. For this purpose, the researcher has used content analysis and survey through questionnaire methods to identify the different socio-cultural factors that strengthened the process of stereotyping through media and to find out a probable solution to minimize, if not eliminate, this problem.

The influence of football celebrity endorsements on the attention paid to advertising: eye tracker research related to amateur online poker players in Portugal

ABSTRACT The aim of this research is to determine how football stars influence the attention paid to online poker advertising and whether a corresponding nationality might influence the perception of audiences between 18 and 24 years of age, which is the adult age group most vulnerable to this type of game. Using an eye tracking technique, a sample of 60 Portuguese young people who are amateur online poker players has been studied. The results suggest that affinity with a sports star increases the level of attention paid to the image of the star. Otherwise, the poker hand registers the greatest amount of attention. Sports stars who are currently playing attract more attention than those who are retired, and smiles make it possible to attract even more attention from the audience. These stars facilitate advertising brands in associating online gaming with a form of leisure.

“From the Series, I See that LGBTQ+ Characters are Ordinary People”: An Audience Study on Netflix Series with LGBTQ+ Themes in 2020–2022

The research focused on how the audience of gender-diverse series in Indonesia reacted to the LGBTQ+ themes broadcasted in some Netflix series aired from 2020 to 2022. It was interesting to discuss, considering that LGBTQ+ issues were still taboo, and that Indonesian society was known to be conventional and religious. By examining the audience’s reactions to the narration of LGBTQ+ themes, the research delved deeper into how Indonesian audience members problematize the LGBTQ+ issues in the Netflix series. The research was conducted with the qualitative research method by asking 70 participants, from whom validated informed consent was retrieved in advance, to answer the questions posed in the online questionnaire employed herein and by inviting them to join Zoom-mediated interviews. Three problematizations are found: Netflix’s ideology related to its LGBTQ+ content, audience perception about the LGBTQ+ community, and audience religiosity before and after watching such a series. There are also varying views on these problematizations according to the various manners in which audience members are reasoning, which are subsequently assigned to several clusters. Ultimately, such problematizations help shed light on how Netflix and its LGBTQ+ content is dynamically perceived by the audience.

The Stickiness of Category Labels: Audience Perception and Evaluation of Producer Repositioning in Creative Markets

Market producers often seek to position themselves in different categories over time. Successful repositioning is difficult, however, as audiences often devalue offerings that depart from a producer’s past creations. Prior research suggests that this penalty arises as evaluators withhold opportunities for producers to reposition because of presumptions of a lack of competence in different categories. In this paper, we develop understanding of a novel evaluator-driven challenge to producers’ repositioning efforts: evaluators are prone to “categorical stickiness,” by which the categories they have come to associate with a producer through its prior offerings shape their perceptions of the producer’s subsequent offerings. The result is a systematic mismatch between what producers claim and what evaluators perceive when a producer repositions. We further propose that audience members who have the greatest prior experience with a producer are the least likely to recognize its repositioning efforts. We examine evidence for our theory using data from Goodreads.com on authors within the book publishing industry, 2007–2017. We first build a novel deep-learning framework to predict categorization of a given book based solely on an author’s description of its content. We then use data on how Goodreads users categorize and evaluate books as well as their past reading behavior to test for evidence of our proposed mechanism. Overall, our results extend understanding of the evaluative processes that generate categorical constraints and how these may differ among various types of audience members. This paper was accepted by Isabel Fernandez-Mateo, organizations. Supplemental Material: The online appendix and data are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2021.02070 .

Public thoughts on incentivizing COVID-19 vaccine uptake in the United States: testing hostile media bias with user-generated comments.

Facebook is the most popular social media platform and often used by news organizations to distribute content to broad audiences. Features of this online news environment, especially user-generated comments shown to news consumers, have the potential to induce audience perceptions of hostile media bias. This study furthers investigation into the influence of exposure to Facebook comments and news topics on consumers. Using a sample of U.S. adult Facebook users (N = 1,274), this work utilized a 2 (likeminded comments or disagreeable comments) × 2 (story topic of requiring COVID-19 vaccines to receive a monetary bonus or maintain employment) between-subjects experimental design. While controlling for the influence of partisanship, this work further proves that features of the Facebook environment uniquely influence news audience perceptions of neutral news content. Specifically, findings indicate that news story topic can influence perceptions of bias. Further, topic and comment exposure interacted, demonstrating the intensity of story topic and likeminded comments enhance hostile media perceptions.

Visual audience gatekeeping on social media platforms: A critical investigation on visual information diffusion before and during the Russo–Ukrainian War

AbstractGatekeepers, including prerogative elites and institutions, possess multifaceted tools for controlling information. Historically, these gatekeepers have systematically instrumentalized visual information to shape audience perceptions in alignment with specific agendas. However, the advent of social media platforms has disrupted these power dynamics, empowering audiences through user‐driven visual information exchanges. This has led to visual audience gatekeeping whereby users act as audience gatekeepers by selectively disseminating visual content, thus shaping information diffusion. While this democratisation of gatekeeping holds considerable promise for user empowerment, it also presents risks. These risks stem from the inherently persuasive yet manipulative qualities of visual content, compounded by users' susceptibility to unconscious biases, especially during polarising events. Therefore, we critically investigated visual audience gatekeeping in the context of the Russo–Ukrainian War, specifically focusing on a Reddit subforum devoted to Russia‐related discussions. We find that visual audience gatekeeping operates within a paradigm that reflects the social reality the audience embraces. Audience gatekeepers disseminate visual information both to reproduce and defend an idealised conception of this social reality. Collectively, they produce a visual echo chamber characterised by low information diversity, which, in turn, reinforces and perpetuates the incumbent paradigm. However, heightened social tensions can trigger a paradigm shift and amplify the reproduction and defence processes, increasing the potential for the diffusion of more radical and extreme visual narratives. Based on our findings, we propose a theoretical model of visual audience gatekeeping, which has important implications for research on visuals, gatekeeping and social media platforms.

FOUR MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF ENGLISH PRAGMATICS

Pragmatics is a linguistic field that explores the complex relationship between language, context, and meaning. It involves analyzing how speakers and writers use language to convey not only literal information, but also social, cultural, and emotional cues that shape communication. Pragmatics examines how language users interpret and infer meaning based on contextual factors such as tone, gesture, and social norms, and how they use language to achieve various goals and outcomes. By uncovering the hidden meanings and intentions behind language use, pragmatics provides valuable insights into human communication and helps us to better understand how language shapes our social interactions and relationships Furthermore, pragmatics plays a crucial role in language learning and teaching, as it helps learners develop their communicative competence and understand the nuances of language use in different contexts. It also has practical applications in fields such as advertising, politics, and law, where the use of language can have significant impacts on audience perceptions and behaviors. Overall, pragmatics is a dynamic and multifaceted field that continues to evolve and shape our understanding of language and communication in diverse contexts.

The primary characteristics of English pragmatics in Applied Linguistics

Pragmatics is a linguistic field that explores the complex relationship between language, context, and meaning. It involves analyzing how speakers and writers use language to convey not only literal information, but also social, cultural, and emotional cues that shape communication. Pragmatics examines how language users interpret and infer meaning based on contextual factors such as tone, gesture, and social norms, and how they use language to achieve various goals and outcomes. By uncovering the hidden meanings and intentions behind language use, pragmatics provides valuable insights into human communication and helps us to better understand how language shapes our social interactions and relationships Furthermore, pragmatics plays a crucial role in language learning and teaching, as it helps learners develop their communicative competence and understand the nuances of language use in different contexts. It also has practical applications in fields such as advertising, politics, and law, where the use of language can have significant impacts on audience perceptions and behaviors. Overall, pragmatics is a dynamic and multifaceted field that continues to evolve and shape our understanding of language and communication in diverse contexts.

Ekonomi Politik Media dalam Perspektif Komunikasi dan Sosial-Budaya

Harold Innis and Marshall McLuhan recognized the fact that technologies have a communicative dimension in and of themselves and play an important role in the formation of political economy. The economic field clearly cannot be separated from capitalism; and capitalism and industry are two things that cannot be tolerated. Furthermore, culture is one of the most interesting contents to be "sold" and is often massified by the media to generate huge profits by media capitalists. This study aims to discuss how the political economy of media is viewed from a communication and socio-cultural perspective. The study in this article uses a descriptive-qualitative method, using literature review as a data collection technique. The results show that the political economy of (mass) media is closely related to power and control over mass media content. This control is carried out through a communication process, where the messages conveyed by the mass media aim to influence the audience's perception, sometimes also to guide the audience's attitude towards an issue, especially social and political issues. One content medium that is considered effective for gaining financial resources is culture. Massified culture becomes a powerful weapon for media owners to gain profits and wealth; where culture is no longer viewed from an aesthetic perspective alone, or how culture conveys truth, but is seen as a "tool" to gain profit alone.

Audience perceptions of a speaker who uses a smartphone as a public speaking aid: An experimental video vignette investigation

Individuals use their smartphones for an assortment of communication and functional activities and in a variety of contexts. Researchers analyzing smartphone use during interpersonal interactions have posed hypotheses and developed theories regarding the positive and negative influences that smartphones have on individuals and relationships. However, there is little research that examines the role smartphone use plays in a public speaking context. The current study uses a video vignette methodology to explore audience perceptions of a speaker who uses a smartphone as a presentation aid at a small university in Singapore. Overall, results suggest that the speaker’s smartphone use did not have a negative impact on perceptions of credibility (likeability/trustworthiness, competence, speaker ability), speaker immediacy, or persuasion. However, there was a small interaction effect when accounting for participants’ degree of smartphone acceptance. University students who reported lower smartphone acceptance perceived the speaker who used a smartphone as less credible (likable/trustworthy) than a speaker who delivered a speech from memory. Additionally, despite reporting significantly less smartphone use than students, staff and instructors did not perceive a speaker who uses a smartphone compared to a memorized presentation differently. This exploratory study carries implications for better understanding normative and appropriate smartphone use in public speaking contexts and provides recommendations for public speaking educators.

An Analysis of Lagos Audience Perception of Channels Business Morning Programme on Investor Relations

This study analysed the perception of Channels’ Business Morning programme on investor relations in Lagos. The objectives of the study were to: find out the extent of exposure of audience in Lagos to Channels’ Business Morning programme; investigate the perception of audience in Lagos of Channels’ Business Morning and ascertain whether or not the perception of audience in Lagos of Business Morning translates to investment decision. The survey research design was employed for the study. The population of the study was 2,952,861 from selected cities in Lagos, with 384 as the sample size using the Keyton’s table. The questionnaire was the instrument for data collection. Among others, the study found out that there is a high level of exposure to Channels’ Business Morning programme in Lagos. It also showed that respondents held positive perception of the programme as a valid and objective source of business news and investment- related information. The researchers recommended that citizens should take advantage of their exposure to financial programmes such as Channels’ Business Morning to continually increase their understanding of finance and investments and improve their financial wellbeing. Corporate organisations should leverage on financial media programmes such as Channels’ Business Morning, to enhance their engagement with shareholders and potential investors by making available accurate and transparent financial information. T

Eket Audience Perception of ‘Ekid Idediongo’ Radio Programme on Heritage FM as a Tool for Rural Development

Eket Audience Perception of ‘Ekid Idediongo’ Radio Programme on Heritage FM as a Tool for Rural Development